Late, Late in the Evening (1976)
1976 Michael Joseph:
In
this, her fiftieth novel, Gladys Mitchell returns to the days
before Mrs. Bradley became Dame Beatrice, when life was quieter.
For instance, in the small Oxfordshire village where Meg and Ken
Clifton spend their school holidays, the Fair is the most
exciting thing that ever happens—that is, until a double
murder is suddenly committed.
The first clue to the truth is the gruesome and accidental disinterment of the body of a man who was not even thought to be dead, although it was known that he had disappeared from his lodgings. There is no doubt that he has been murdered, and in exactly the same way as the young woman whose body has already been found down by the sheepwash.
But despite the similarity of method, there seems little motive for either death, and no logical connection between the two. The general opinion is that the village contains a homicidal maniac.
Mrs. Bradley, called in by her friend Mrs. Kempson, thinks otherwise, but even with Meg and Ken’s eager assistance, she can make little progress until her enquiries uncover the reckless and impudent impersonation of a man who died five years previously.
My thanks to Jason Hall for providing this image.
My review:
Mitchell's fiftieth book, and, celebrating that noble mark, she returns to the days when Dame Beatrice was Mrs. Bradley, and when life was quieter. The book is very satisfying, with some of Mitchell's best character-drawing—the children are excellent, even if they do owe something to The Rising of the Moon. Despite the fact that there are only two suspects, like Henry Wade she manages to weave a good deal of mystification and keep the story rattling along at a brisk pace—an achievement in itself. The murders themselves are well done, though the girl's death (murdered while dressed as a dinosaur) is slightly disappointing. The village is excellent—it no longer exists in the modern world, fitting in a book dealing with the passing of time. The first and final pages sum up the book—the gradual disappearance of the past, and the final words: "I did when I was younger." Not for nothing is it called Late, Late in the Evening.